The City of Concord Police Department is working to achieve national accreditation through the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc., which is known as CALEA, and is the gold standard in public safety. The department is entering the third phase of the rigorous five-step process, which requires a site-based assessment by CALEA and includes an opportunity for members of the public to submit comments during a public hearing, by phone, or in writing.
On Monday, April 4, CALEA assessors will thoroughly examine all aspects of Concord PD’s policies and procedures, management, operations, and support services through a virtual site-based assessment. During the virtual site visit, assessors will evaluate whether the department meets the 180 standards necessary to achieve Level I accreditation.
As part of this process, the public is invited to submit comments to the assessment team on Concord PD’s ability to comply with CALEA’s standards. A copy of the standards is available on the Commission’s website. There are four ways for the community to participate:
- By phone by calling (704) 920-5597 on Monday, April 4 between 3 and 5 p.m. Comments are limited to ten minutes.
- By joining the virtual public hearing on Monday, April 4 at 5 p.m. Comments are limited to ten minutes per person. The hearing will be conducted via Zoom using the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUldeuhrDIsHtwtfKBZ4WJSrRaZ553oOXTg
- By emailing comments to the Commission at calea@calea.org with “Concord Police Department” entered in the subject line.
- By mailing written comments to the following address: Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement, Inc. (CALEA), 13575 Heathcote Blvd., Suite 320, Gainesville, Virginia, 20155.
Following the assessment on April 4, the team of assessors will make a report and recommendation to the full Commission. Next, the Commission will discuss the department’s assessment and decide whether to approve Concord PD for accreditation. If successful, this will be Concord PD’s first national accreditation. Accreditation is valid for four years; however, departments are required to complete annual reports and further assessments to ensure continued compliance with CALEA’s high standards of excellence in policing.
For more information on CALEA and the accreditation process, call (703) 352-4225, email calea@calea.org, or visit their website at https://www.calea.org/.